Hans Christian Heg

Hans Christian Heg (21 December 1829-20 September 1863) was a US Army Colonel who commanded the "Scandinavian Regiment" during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, during which his regiment suffered 63% losses.

Biography
Hans Christian Heg was born in Lier, Norway in 1829, and his family emigrated to the United States in 1840, settling in Muskego, Wisconsin. He spent two years prospecting for gold in California during the Gold Rush before returning to Wisconsin, where he became an ardent member of the Free Soil Party, becoming the first Norwegian to hold statewide office in Wisconsin when he was elected Wisconsin State Prison Commissioner. He later joined the Republican Party and was an outspoken anti-slavery activist and an anti-slave catcher militia leader. Governor Alexander Randall appointed him commander of the "Scandinavian Regiment" (15th Wisconsin Infantry) at the start of the American Civil War in 1861, appealing to all young Norsemen (mostly Norwegians, with some from Denmark and Sweden). He was injured when his horse fell at the Battle of Perryville, but he and his men distinguished themselves. After the Battle of Stones River, Heg was promoted to command the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland. On 19 September 1863, while commanding the brigade at the Battle of Chickamauga, he was shot through the bowels and died the next day.